National Emergency Medical Services Association
The National Emergency Medical Services Association (NEMSA) was a labor union and California non-profit mutual benefit corporation for EMS workers. It formed in 2004 because EMS employees were unhappy with their representation by SEIU Local 250. NEMSA claimed to represent EMTs, flight nurses, and paramedics, and it operated in six states. Its headquarters were in Modesto, California, United States, and its membership included pre-hospital EMS professionals and related staff.
NEMSA’s founding was controversial. Its founder, Torren Colcord, was found guilty of fraud in Alameda County Superior Court for using SEIU resources and company time to create NEMSA. SEIU was awarded about $442,000 in judgment, which was later reduced on appeal. NEMSA members ended up paying that amount plus attorney fees.
In 2012, NEMSA affiliated with the National Association of Government Employees (NAGE). The affiliation was short-lived; in 2013 NAGE severed the agreements and sued NEMSA for contract breaches. An arbitration noted immediate disharmony between the unions, and NAGE terminated the contracts. After the split, NEMSA remained independent but faced membership raiding from other unions.
NEMSA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on February 6, 2015, and ceased operations. As an independent union, it still faced raiding from unions like AFSCME and NAGE.
Specific disputes included: in 2007, NEMSA walked away from representing about 500 EMS workers in Portland, Oregon after a contract dispute. In 2010, a leadership battle arose when an election produced conflicting results; the Department of Labor found issues with eligibility and seating, and after a period of dispute, an OLMS-supervised election restored a new leadership structure, with Colcord remaining as executive director. Gambone and some former members later formed United EMS Workers/AFSCME 4911.
In 2011, a former member, Edward Gavin Jr., filed suit claiming NEMSA breached its duty of fair representation; the court ruled against Gavin.
Members also criticized NEMSA for not providing meeting minutes or financial information when requested.
NEMSA dissolved in 2016, ending its run as an EMS-focused labor union.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 04:05 (CET).